my character is me?

[hirch duckfinder]

i find that if players in my ( small ) game run two characters , they role play more , rather than falling back on their own personality with just the one character .
with two i can remind the player that their characters are different people , and thus force more development .
what does anyone think ?

 

[Liam Devlin]

Good idea Hirch!!!I used this idea in my ADnD campaigns for years, to teach the very same reasons. As GM then, as in now, not only taught them everyone is different, but that no two PC's are the same (even in the case of those playing siblings/ or twins).
Having twins in real life as my children taught me that first hand, and whenever they (the gamers)might raise issue on "they're alike"-I would point out they were not, using my kids as examples!

 

[sandman]

But then you have to check every now and then that the characters of the same player doesn`t become "too cozy" as in being as brothers while their achetype are literally opposed.

There is also the question of "dilluting" the characters, since your energies are splitted in two instead of being concentrated on one character.

This being said, having either one or two characters per players both have benefits and problems.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Since our D&D group is small (three players and DM), I frequently play two characters so we can cover all the core classes. Unless I'm DM, then we have two NPCs.

But playing two characters does require more focus and more role-playing to make them different. I usually play one male and one female character, just to help me focus even more on the fact that they are different. I've found there are pros and cons to playing two characters, but I usually enjoy the challenge of two.

 

[vegascat]

After 25 years of runing games, I have found out a few things.

You can not force someone to stay in character, but you can give them a new character to play.
New players often need a good example of how to stay in character, NPCs can be of use.
Old players who are getting bored with a character may lose touch with who the charater is.
Changing the scene can give new life to the game.
The more fun they are having, the easier it is for them to stay in character.

Players don't play themselfs so much as how they want to be. This is often the reason people play, they get to be the person they want to be and do the things they want to do. It's called escapism.

Giving a player two characters to play can help. What will happen is one character will become the alter ego, and the other will be something completely different. Unless the person is naturally schitsoid, the characters will not get equal treatment.

 

[vegascat]

One thing to be very careful of is players who identify way to close to characters. Some people can lose separation with characters and reality. I have seen it more than once. Not a fun thing. Your choice is to refer them to a good professional councillor, or a vampire the masquerade group. Do not allow them back in your game. This is a true form of mental illness that ends the persons ability to ever play roleplaying games again.
This happens when too much time is devoted to roleplaying, especially in current settings.